Thursday, May 31, 2007

This is Heath Ledger as The Joker in the upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight.

This looks awesome! I was already going to see The Dark Knight, but now, I'm really excited about it. It looks as though director Christopher Nolan has captured the true characteristics of The Joker.

Cesar Romero's version was goofy. Jack Nicholson's version was insane. Heath Ledger's version looks psychotic. That's how The Joker was portrayed in the comics; a vicious sociopath who kills people and enjoys doing it.

You have give credit to Ledger. He has some big shoes to fill. Let's face it, Jack was phenomenal. No matter what Ledger does (apparently, he's based The Joker on the characters from A Clockwork Orange), he's going to be compared to Jack. Some will say he wasn't as good as Jack. Others will say he was as good as Jack. I wonder if anyone will have the stones to say Ledger was better then Jack.

Speaking about The Joker, how cool would it be if Jennifer Tilly was brought in to play Harley Quinn?

Friday, May 25, 2007

This has nothing to do with the fact that one of teams happens to be from Canada. This has nothing to do with the fact that I lived in Ottawa for the majority of four years. The Senators are on a huge roll and I feel it is strong enough to win the big prize. However, the Sens must win the first game. If they take game one, they will control the series. If the Ducks win the first game, winning the Cup will be very difficult for Ottawa.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

The National Film Board has made a significant impact on Canadian cinema. Every Canadian has seen at least one film from the NFB. If you haven't seen an NFB film, you can head down to the board's Toronto studios, sit in a "Mediatheque" viewing station and watch as many films as you want.

I enjoy watching NFB films. Seeing that well known logo (the eye with two legs) always catches my attention.

Recently, I found a couple of films on YouTube and decided to compile a list of my favourite NFB productions. After much thought and deliberation, here are my top five NFB films.

To the untrained eye, Begone Dull Care appears to have a simple concept: draw all over the film and add some music. However, to the trained eye, the production is more then just an attack on a empty roll of film with crayons and paint brushes. Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren create a beautiful union of moving images with music. Keep in mind the music is by Oscar Peterson, which means a fast-paced, quick-beat score. Therefore, there's a lot of action that needs to be translated on screen. It takes great skill to make a film like Begone Dull Care. However, if you can pull it off, the result will be an animated masterpiece.

I guess Writer and Director Don Owen got tired of making documentaries. So he decided to make a feature film. Since he had no experience filming fiction, Owen shot Nobody Waved Goodbye as if it was a documentary. The consequence of this decision was a Canadian style of feature film making. The film also provides a hard dose or reality.

Remember, this was the early 60's and everyone believes life should be like "Leave It To Beaver." Nobody Waved Goodbye gives conformity a swift slap in the face.

I've cheered for the Montreal Canadiens my entire life. As a young boy, I kept hearing the name Maurice Richard, but I didn't know who he was. Then, I saw this film in my grade three french class and understood who he was and what he meant to so many people. The Sweater taught me how this man known as the Rocket, was a folk hero and a hockey legend. After seeing this film, even I wanted to tape my stick like Maurice Richard.

Leonard Cohen is the subject of this film. What more do I need to say? Plus, you get to hear what he really sounds like before all those cigarettes gave him the raspy voice he has today. Even when Cohen orders a cheese sandwich and a glass of milk it sounds poetic.

I first saw this film/vignette in 1994. The NFB had an exhibition at the CNE and was presenting random productions throughout the day in an auditorium. I was very fortunate to be there when they showed Log Driver's Waltz. It's a snapshot of Canadian folklore. It expresses what life was like when our country was young.

Everyone who lived during that time wanted to emulate their British and French ancestors. However, there was a desire for people to develop their own way of life, a Canadian way of life. You get a sense of this in Log Driver's Waltz. There's an upper class woman who is told she should emulate those who have come before her, by marrying a doctor, lawyer or any other wealthy elite. However, this woman wants to make her own decisions and hopes that she will marry a log driver, who of course, doesn't come with the same type of status as a doctor or lawyer.

Plus there's the actual song. How can you not love the song? The tune will get stuck in your head for a number of days, but it's absolutely worth it.

Friday, May 18, 2007

This video was used to introduce the Chicago Bulls during the mid to late 90's. To me, the music compliments the images. I also love the song. It's called Sirius and was put together by the Alan Parsons Project. Wrestling fans will recognize the music as Ricky Steamboat's theme entrance.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Joey Buttafuoco and Amy Fisher will be having a candlelight dinner together.

Why are they having dinner together? Well, apparently they want to see if they can rekindle their romance. You remember their romantic tale. It ended with Joey going to jail for a few months for statutory rape and Amy serving seven years after shooting Joey's wife in the face.

Why are they trying to rekindle their romance? Well, a producer named David Krieff thinks he can turn their reunion into a reality television program.

Of course! That's what people want to watch. What's more entertaining then two g-list celebrities falling in love again? As if we couldn't get enough of Nick and Jessica, Vili and Mary-Kay, and most recently, Tori Spelling and Hamilton Steelheads' captain Mark Simpson....er....Dean McDermott.

Seriously, what's next? Living With The Bobbits? The Monica Lewisnky Show? The Simple Life: Justin and Sophie?

Monday, May 14, 2007

My good friend Owen Hewitt (aka Billy Ruffian) will be on tonight's episode of Monday Night Scribes, promoting his new CD "Savage Gentlemen" and the Capital Slam Semi-Finals on May 17. The program begins at 10pm ET on CHUO 89.1 FM in Ottawa. For those outside of Ottawa, head to www.chuo.fm and listen online.

You can probably add one more to the list as Troy Glaus left tonight's game with another foot injury. The closer (Ryan) is out. The top starter (Halladay) is out. The lead off hitter (Johnson) is out. They have lost nine games in a row. They're in last place in the AL East, 10.5 games behind first place Boston. A number of players are underachieving. AND......they have a general manager (JP Richardi) who is incapable of putting together a team that can compete with the Yankees and Red Sox, has lied to the fans about the severity of certain injuries, and believes that hitting is more important then pitching, when it was clear that the Jays had the hitting but needed more pitching!

Someone is going to be fired by the end of the month, if not sooner. Unfortunately, it won't be JP Richardi.

In other news, the Blue Jays are officially screwed. BJ Ryan + Tommy John surgery = Not Good. I'm a loyal Jays fan. I will always cheer for them. I will still attend the games. However, realistically speaking, the season is done.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Congratulations to Adam 'Edge' Copeland, who won the World Heavyweight Championship last night. This is a great solution to a problem that the WWE's Smackdown roster had to deal with.

The Undertaker, the former champion, suffered a serious injury at Backlash and is gone for 6-8 months. Also, Ken Kennedy, who was getting a huge push, suffered a serious injury this past weekend and is gone for 5-7 months. So the champion is out of action, as is the roster's top heel. If they were to put the belt back on Batista then Undertaker's title win at Wrestlemania would be meaningless. Along with that, there is no one on the Smackdown roster who has been booked properly to take over as the top heel.

By having Edge come over from RAW and win the title, Smackdown now has a major heel. This will also lead to an exciting storyline involving Batista. Hopefully, WWE won't screw this up by having Batista beat Edge at the Judgement Day PPV on May 20th.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Anyone who says New Jersey's victory over the Raptors in the NBA playoffs is an upset, knows absolutely nothing about basketball.

The truth is New Jersey is a solid team. In fact, they are as good as the Raptors. The only reason why the Nets finished 6th in the Eastern Conference was because a number of players had injuries during the season. It wasn't until the end of the regular season that New Jersey finally had a healthy roster. If they had a healthy roster for the entire season, the Nets would have probably finished in 4th place or higher in the Eastern Conference; maybe even taking the Atlantic Division.

It would be too easy to point fingers at the parties responsible for Toronto's first round exit. You can't blame a player, a certain play, a game, or a coaching decision. Winning is a team effort and in the end, the entire unit is to blame for the loss against New Jersey. Every Raptor had a moment where they could have played better. Even Sam Mitchell, the NBA's coach of the year, made decisions that ended up being the wrong decisions. I am not going to use the "lack of playoff experience" as an excuse. However, I also refuse to single out a specific player or official.

Am I disappointed with Toronto's playoff performance? Absolutely.

Does the loss to New Jersey ruin the Raptors' 06-07 season? No way!

The Raptors had an amazing season. No one expected them to be this good. I predicted that they would finish no higher then 6th and no lower then 10th. Sure, their playoff run was disappointing, but unless you win the NBA championship, I can't think of any other playoff run that ended on a happy note. This was a team that the entire city can be proud of. A few years ago, the Raptors were an awful team. Thanks to Bryan Collangello, they are no longer an embarrassment. The Raptors are on a road that will lead to more success. Many of their young players were great this season. There is no doubt in my mind that they will continue to improve. In a little while, players like Chris Bosh , TJ Ford and Andrea Bargnani, will be viewed in the same light as Steve Nash, Dwayne Wade and Tim Duncan.

I have always believed that the positives should outweigh the negatives. To me, the Raptors had far more positive moments then negative ones. Hopefully, we will see more great moments down the road.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

The Raptors played three AMAZING quarters and one HORRIBLE quarter. There will be a Game 6 on Friday and if the Raptors play the way they did in the 4th quarter, they're going to lose. It is essential that they turn three solid quarters into four solid quarters. I believe this is possible.

Jose Calderon (below) was unbelievable last night. 25 points! He best performance in a Raptors uniform. However, he rolled his ankle late in the game and had to be taken out. He says he's feeling better and will be ready on Friday. Hopefully, he can play, especially since TJ Ford was injured last night as well. Calderon and Ford are two solid point guards. Without them, the Raptors are at a huge disadvantage.

Pray for Jose. Pray for TJ. Pray that Chris Bosh steps up his game. The rest of the team played well. Here's hoping they bring the same energy on Friday.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

I saw a squirrel with a little Tim Hortons bag in his mouth. He climbed a tree while his teeth clenched the bag, which may have contained a maple donut. Of course, science has shown us that squirrels cannot eat nor digest maple donuts. Therefore, the squirrel is an idiot. However, the Tim Hortons bag should provide him with sufficient shelter.